Increase funding for CBC, Murang'a leaders tell task force

The Competency Based Curriculum is a game-changer but it needs sufficient funding, a team look into the system has been told. 

The Working Party on Education Reforms was in Murang'a on Wednesday to collect stakeholders' views on the curriculum. 

It set up camp at Murang'a Teachers College. 

Stakeholders said one of the biggest hurdles facing CBC is lack of sufficient funding from the government.

This, they said, has left parents struggling to keep up due to the extra costs that aggravate their already dire financial situations.

Senator Joe Nyutu, who is the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, said CBC will be a game changer if implemented properly.

He, however, urged the government to stop turning secondary schools into national schools as this disadvantages local students.

“You come to Murang’a and take a local school. What you have effectively done is lock out locals from benefiting from the school,” Nyutu said.

"If the government wants to have a national school in a particular area, let it buy land, build a new high school and make it a national school."

He said private schools that serve children from low-income families should be identified and given government support.  

Nyutu said many parents' main objection to CBC is the financial burden it has put on their shoulders. 

Maragua MP Mary Waithera said most rural schools lack internet, forcing teachers to rely on cybercafes.

She said teachers were insufficiently trained for the new system while parents feel their participation in school work is too much.

Waithera said the government needs to employ more teachers. 

“I support CBC because it has many benefits but let the government train teachers who will be engaged in junior secondary schools sufficiently to avoid confusion,” she said.

Waithera said education should be free and the government should provide funds for the extra materials required for learning.

“Parents are too busy providing for their families and sometimes are unable to get home in time to help children with their homework," she said.

"This causes some children to go to school feeling like they have insufficient help from their parents.”

The MP said parents’ role should be restricted to provision and checking assignments.

Waithera urged the Teachers Service Commission to stop transferring teachers away from their families, saying it affects their productivity.

She proposed that junior secondary school be domiciled in primary schools as 'senior primary school' since the pupils are too young and still require their parents’ care.

Gatanga MP Edward Muriu said the Jubilee government commercialised CBC and rushed to implement it without proper consultations.

“This system seems to have been intended at making money for some individuals. It was a commercial transaction. A state capture. That is why some schools have extra classrooms and books than they need,” he said.

Knut Thika executive secretary Mark Wamuthenya urged the government to implement a feeding programme in all schools.

Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chairperson Esther Wambugu proposed the extension of primary school by one year to Grade 7.

This, she said, would give secondary schools time to prepare by training teachers and improving infrastructure while giving learners time to grow.

She said the government remits about Sh13,000 capitation for each learner out of the Sh22,244 it should send to schools; the rest is retained for set books, co-curricular activities and building.

Wambugu said the government should fund all schools equally so they all grow at the same pace.

“The government should remit capitation without retaining a single coin. It should also provide children with equipment such as laptops and books such as dictionaries, Kamusi, atlases and Bibles to ease parents’ burden,” she said.

Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya